Rachel never understood the quote "absence makes the heart grow fonder." Yet the more time she spent away from Elijah, the more she yearned for his presence. His touch to the way he would zone out while listening to swing jazz, she missed it. She missed the way his stubble would graze her cheek whenever he whispered sweet nothings in her ear. She even missed the way Elijah would argue with Hunter. As if they were school children. It was rather odd, considering their "relationship" was a case of friends with benefits.
She sighed heavily as the papers gracefully slipped from her fingers. Repositioning herself, Rachel leaned back in the chair as her eyes unintentionally traveled to Elijah. The once stable face was now shaved. The bags under his eyes were visible despite the distance between them. He lightly chuckled as the woman placed her hand on his arm.
"I'm saying, Hunny. This is the third stack of photos that you've declined. Either she's too skinny or overly sweet. Tell me exactly what's missing?!"
The mysterious woman that clung to Elijah like a second skin, leaned towards him. He did that thing that made Rachel's skin boil with jealousy. He chuckled at her as she continuously whispered. Rachel gritted her teeth, abruptly standing to her feet. As if her presence meant nothing, they continued their interaction.
Yet the woman could feel an individual staring daggers into her short frame.
"This is not working," Rachel mumbled. She wanted to put her all into her first project as an intern, but nothing was going the way she envisioned. She picked up the thick stack of photos and tossed it in the trash can.
The sound of approaching heels made Rachel look up to see a beautiful brunette in front of her. From head to toe, the fierce woman was in nothing but top-tier designer clothes. Rachel tilted her head, silently waiting for her to speak. Her attitude was unintentionally revealing itself, and she hated herself for it. She was better than that.
"I see that you're struggling with the easiest part of creating a fashion show. Might I add a few tips? I'm a perfectionist when organizing fashion shows."
"My apologies. But who are you?" In times like these, Rachel wished she could hide her emotions. She was the type to wear every type of emotion on her face.
"My God, Elijah! Did you really hire someone who knows nothing of the fashion industry? There's no surviving in this particular company for a clueless child.."
"Desiree, Ms. Jager is an-"
"Desiree was it? With all due respect, I am well aware that there will be a need to freshen my knowledge when it comes to fashion. Part of working in one of the top name brand fashion industries is knowing all the top brand names...even when I disagree with their designs." Rachel mocked Desiree's smile. After gathering her documents, she proceeded to walk to the exit. "And by the way. I'm not struggling with anything. All you have to do is sit back and watch me work my magic." She let out a staggered breath as she walked back to her office with Jessie following behind.
"Are you okay, baby girl?" Jessie questioned. "The way you dissed ole girl, rumors are sure to spread." He walked over to Rachel whose fingers were rapidly tapping on the keyboard.
"What is one way to broadcast an urgent message to millions of people?" Rachel continued to type.
"Uh, social media?"
"Exactly! The Henderson brothers have millions of followers along with the company's account. If we can get this message out to the public then we can get some models in here."
"Shouldn't you run this by the boss before posting on their accounts? There really was nothing wrong with the last stack of papers."
"They were average and I don't want...average. I want normal black, white, Asian... I need it all. These models need to exceed my expectations."
"Define normal then. I made sure to give you the best the company has to offer. These models had a well-qualified portfolio."
"Strech marks. Too tall. Too short. Natural. Flaws. I want to turn heads. Not something that you see in magazines."
Jessie plopped down on her couch. He sighed heavily and said, "then let's get to work. I promised you that I would stick with you through the bullshit. Just don't you bullshit me," Jessie's job was now on the line, but he saw potential in Rachel. "So tell me what I have to do."
Over the course of three days, Rachel and her team had been holding auditions. She barely had time to think about the very two people that once consumed her thoughts. She loved it. Drowning herself in work meant less time overthinking. Who to choose? Who to leave? Should she leave?
Elijah wasn't too happy with the change in direction when it came to the change in models. However, he couldn't deny the satisfied look on her face. So he did what any supportive person would do. He sat back and observed. A part of him assumed that he was part of the reason why she couldn't succeed to her fullest potential.
"Good afternoon, sir. My name is Ryan. I'm here for the new Advertising Account Coordinator position." Ryan extended his hand for a firm handshake.
Elijah merely grunted. Returning the handshake, he gave the new employee a once over. The position needed to be filled immediately, so the person with the most impressive education took the spot. Ryan was given a tour and soon was introduced to the remaining employees that were not at the venue. Not only did Ryan move halfway across the world, but he was also a step closer to surprising the love of his life.
"I've never seen someone so eager to work for me before. Who sent you?" Questioned Elijah.
Ryan frowned with confusion, looking toward the cold man. "I do not understand. I simply yearned to put my unused degree to use before it was too late. Not to mention, I've heard nothing but good news from your company. I'm quite honored to be working at this establishment."
Elijah quietly walked past the man to show him to his team members on the lower floor. He had better things to worry about than an employee that wouldn't even last month.
***
Authors note: To the people that have stuck by me from the very beginning... I really do appreciate you. And to the newcomers, I just want to say: Welcome to Medusa's madness. I know I've been on hiatus for a while and I truly apologize for my disappearance.
I wanted to let you know that I want to revise this book with a new plot, the same characters, and more of an adult theme. As I'm doing this, I will continue to upload chapters here.
I will be working on revising this book before finally publishing it on Amazon.
See you soon
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Endgame (rough draft)
Romance"She was the girl who would rather dance among the stars and flirt with her fantasies. But it seemed her universe was always conspiring to break her wings..." After suffering the unthinkable, Rachel was determined to push forward in life. She faces...
